LOCAL
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, July 6, 2022
A9
What to keep in mind as fi re season begins in Northeast Oregon
By JACK PARRY
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE — The
Oregon Department of For-
estry announced that fi re sea-
son began July 1 in the North-
east Oregon District as the
vegetation is drying after a
rainy last few months.
The Willowcreek Fire
spans over 42,000 acres
northeast of Vale this week
before the season offi cially
started.
Matt Howard, the district
forester for the Northeastern
Oregon District, remembers
the extremely hot and dry
conditions during fi re season
last year, and doesn’t believe
the period will be as long this
year.
“Last summer, we were
in a severe drought; it quit
raining in March,” Howard
said. “With the rainfall we’ve
received in April and May and
the fi rst half of June, it’s really
moistened up our fuels.”
This amount of precip-
itation wasn’t just unex-
pected for the spring, it was
record-breaking, helping to
provide fi rmer snowcaps on
the mountains to melt down.
“For May, and the fi rst half
of June, it was the wettest six
weeks for Northeast Oregon,”
Howard said.
However, the Willow-
creek Fire is burning. Even
though the fi re is technically
out of the Wallowa County
district and has been over
75% contained, according to
U.S. Bureau of Land Man-
agement Vale District, fi re
safety is always relevant as
fi re season begins throughout
the state.
During the season, debris-
pile burning and barrel burn-
ing can only be done by per-
mit, which is a fairly simple
process. Call the local Ore-
gon Department of Forestry
offi ce and request a permit.
A fi re warden will come out
and inspect the burn site, and
if the site is up to standard,
issue a permit.
The use of exploding bul-
lets is prohibited, and all
lodging must meet require-
ments for fi re prevention.
Something else that can be
dangerous, especially around
Independence Day, are fi re-
works. This is why Howard
wants people in his district
to be mindful because every
year fi res happen when fi re-
works go off in unsafe places.
“The fi reworks that shoot
up in the air don’t always go
where they’re intended,” he
said.
Common sense goes a
long way in preventing fi re.
“Make sure they have a
safe campfi re, be wary of
driving in tall, dry grass, be
fi re-conscious and be aware,”
Howard said.
He also said people should
report a fi re when they see it;
that way the authorities can
learn about it as quickly as
possible in order to minimize
resources and cost.
“Don’t assume the next
person has reported it,” How-
ard said. “We want to get
there quickly and knock that
fi re down.”
Allergies impact both people and their pets
By ANN BLOOM
For the Wallowa County
Chieftain
The sneezing, the itching,
watering eyes and running
nose. Seasonal allergies are
miserable, aren’t they?
With spring and summer,
the allergen that appears to
be the biggest culprit now
is pollen. Flowers, grasses,
trees, and bushes are in full
bloom and shooting yel-
low pollen into the air to
be inhaled by unsuspecting
allergy suff erers.
Allergies can run the
gamut from foods to medi-
cines to topical irritants (i.e.,
clothing, lotions, and soaps)
to insects and things in the
environment. During the
spring and summer months,
it is mainly the airborne
allergens that give people the
most problem.
Airborne allergens can
include pet dander, pollen,
dust, mold and things like
dust mites.
“Everyone is unique,
and it depends on how sen-
sitive you are to things,”
said. Sarah Peterson, Family
Nurse Practitioner, of Hill-
ock Family Medicine, as to
what will trigger an allergy.
She said a person can go
to an allergist and go through
testing to fi nd out what they
are allergic. She added that
allergens can be anything
from pollen to things that
cause anaphylaxis (such as
bee stings or allergies to cer-
tain foods).
Peterson explained that
an allergy is the body’s
immune system seeing the
allergen as harmful and that
causes a reaction (i.e., sneez-
ing). Allergies are a “big, big
topic. And allergists can treat
allergies for sure,” she said.
Over-the-counter medica-
tions can help with seasonal
allergies, as can nonsteroidal
saline nasal solutions. Peter-
and watering eyes can help
as can a decongestant. Shots
can also help, but are typ-
ically administered by an
allergist. Peterson said it is
possible to outgrow some
allergies.
Also remember humans
are not the only ones to suff er
from allergies. Pets are sus-
ceptible to allergens as well.
“WE TYPICALLY SEE DOGS MORE
FREQUENTLY THAN CATS FOR ALLERGIES,
BUT BOTH ARE SUSCEPTIBLE.”
— Dr. Brooke Greenshields, veterinarian
at Double Arrow Veterinary Clinic
son advises against steroidal
nasal medications for long-
term use. She also recom-
mends humidifi ers at night.
“If membranes are really
dry, try Vaseline. But avoid
antibiotic creams. Warm salt-
water gargles are good for
postnasal drainage, and then
follow up with your primary
care provider as needed,” she
said.
A person with seasonal
allergies can also consult
with a pharmacist on an
over-the-counter medication
that is right for them. Peter-
son said it is important to
know your blood pressure
and pulse numbers. She said
a lot of allergy medications
can spike blood pressure.
A pharmacist can always
advise what is best for your
type of situation.
Eye drops for red, itchy
Dr. Brooke Greenshields,
a veterinarian at Double
Arrow Veterinary Clinic,
said dogs and cats are sus-
ceptible to environmental
and food allergies the same
as people. She said that with
pets, the environmental aller-
gies can be caused by stim-
ulants such as grasses and
pollen.
“We typically see dogs
more frequently than cats for
allergies, but both are sus-
ceptible,” she said.
Signs of allergies in pets
include, itching face or belly,
licking (their) paws, hot
spots — like a rash, and in
cats, diffi culty breathing.
Pets also experience aller-
gies to foods as well as envi-
ronmental triggers.
“Food allergies are com-
mon in dogs,” she said.
To determine if dogs have
food allergies, a strict diet
trial is recommended with a
hypoallergenic food. Blood
work can be sent to a lab to
determine what environmen-
tal allergies an animal has,
but has been found to be less
accurate when diagnosing
food allergies.
“Animals can get allergy
injections to help improve
symptoms,” Greenshields
said.
There are diff erent med-
ications available to relieve
symptoms for both envi-
ronmental and food aller-
gies. Schedule a visit with
your veterinarian to establish
a diagnostic and treatment
plan that is best for your pet.
Whether you are a person
who suff ers from allergies, or
someone who has a pet that
suff ers, there is help avail-
able, as close as your near-
est primary care provider or
veterinarian.
Commissioners may ban psilocybin
Chieftain staff
ENTERPRISE — A res-
olution and an ordinance
to permanently prohibit the
establishment of psilocy-
bin facilities in Wallowa
County will be on the agenda
Wednesday, July 6, when
the Board of Commissioners
meets.
The commissioners meet
at 9 a.m. at the courthouse.
According to the Ore-
gon Health Authority web-
site, Oregon Psilocybin
Services is a new section
housed within the OHA Pub-
lic Health Division’s Cen-
ter for Health Protection.
The section will implement
Ballot Measure 109, which
was passed in November
2020 and directs the OHA
to license and regulate the
manufacturing, transporta-
tion, delivery, sale and pur-
chase of psilocybin products
and the provision of psilocy-
bin services.
The section will begin
accepting applications for
licensure Jan. 2. Until then,
the section is in a develop-
ment period, working to
build the nation’s fi rst regula-
tory framework for psilocy-
bin services.
The resolution and ordi-
nance being considered by
the commissioners would
prohibit such facilities within
the county.
Also on the agenda Wednes-
day, the commissioners:
• Will hear a presentation
by Larisa Bogadus of the Vale
offi ce of the federal Bureau of
Land Management.
• Initiate a grant from the
Wildhorse Foundation for
K9 therapy with Community
Corrections.
• Take several employee
actions, including the hiring
of Gavin Collier as a juve-
nile tracker with the Depart-
ment of Youth Services and
the separation from service
of Brooke Langerman as a
911 dispatcher and William
Moore as a custodian.
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